Over the past five years, Novelis has quietly made major investments in their Oswego facility. Novelis has been a leader in aluminum recycling for years and recently the company has made a bold move into a new customer base.

"Over the past five years we have invested around $400 million here, primarily around the automotive business if you will,â?? says plant manager Chris Smith.

This week a $48 million expansion opened. It takes in scrap aluminum, melts it down into raw material, and then processes the new aluminum onto massive spools for one of the biggest clients in the auto business. This year Novelis is providing the aluminum for the body of the best-selling pickup truck in the U.S. - the Ford F-150. The 2015 model weighs 700 pounds less than last yearâ??s because the body is 95% aluminum.

"Basically they have certain fuel efficiency targets they need to hit going forward. So the easiest way they can do that is replacing steel with aluminum,â?? Smith says.

The new expansion has two lines - four stories tall that run aluminum sheets through a massive building before they are wound onto spools for automakers. A third production line is being built right now next to the other two - it is expected to open in December of this year. Novelis' growth has been helped by a partnership with the Port of Oswego, allowing them to ship materials across the great lakes.

"They listened to our needs, they learned about the automotive business and they've been really lock step with us along the way,â?? Smith says.

Novelis hopes to add 250 jobs over the next few years - that is in addition to the 450 jobs the automotive expansion already brought to Oswego.